Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 64: October 31, 2120

Chapter 64: October 31, 2120

October 31, 2120

"And now, in these unprecedented times, it is more important than ever that we follow the rules. I know how hard it is to be forced to stay away from your loved ones, but it is the only way for us to move forward. Remember: get your vaccine as soon as you can and the second dosage two weeks later. This is the best course of action for all of us. As soon as everyone is vaccinated, we can go back to how things were before."

I raised the remote and clicked the television back to a cooking show. I was too tired to deal with this crap. It was the end of October, Halloween to be exact, and this shit had been going on for months.

My biggest question was when did unprecedented times become the new normal? I was getting tired of the powers that be talking like it was a simple flu that made the world come to a standstill.

I had gotten the vaccine, both doses, and a booster, but I didn’t have any of the usual side effects that the others had. In fact, I was the only recorded person in County K not to have a two-day fever. Until I changed the records.

I would not be the only one of something. I needed to blend in before someone decided to figure out why I didn’t react to the enhanced vaccine.

It might seem crazy that I didn’t put up a fuss, knowing what was in the vaccine, but Bai Long Qiang and his whole team had the total dosage. I figured that if something happened to them as a result, then it could happen to me, too.

And if it ended up killing them, then it could kill me, too.

Most people only got a single dosage in August and September since that was the bare requirement that the government asked for. But since the guys were part of the military, they didn’t have much choice in the matter.

I could have pretended that I had given myself the vaccine, and no one would be able to say otherwise, but like I said... I was an idiot when it came to Bai Long Qiang. And Cheng Bo Jing.

I got up from the couch and looked around the house, which I hated more than anything. My skin felt like fire ants were trying to dig under it... it practically crawled, my instincts telling me that something was wrong.

But then again, I was getting more and more paranoid with every day that passed. I went to bed every night seeing weird things with giant teeth trying to rip me apart. It had gotten to the point that I was lucky if I got even an hour of sleep every night.

I was fucking up at work too, but luckily no one noticed it yet.

When other doctors messed things up, they had a whole nursing staff, and other doctors fixed stuff so no one would notice.

Me? I wasn’t that lucky.

My mind went back to the feeling of something crawling across my arm. I scratched my skin so hard I was practically bleeding, but it still didn’t stop the feeling. I pushed my sleeves down so no one could see just how much I had been ripping apart my skin lately.

No one needed to know just how close I was to losing my mind.

I had another shift tonight, but first.... Bai Long Qiang and his team were going off on yet another mission.

I watched as he picked up his oversized work bag and flung it over his shoulder. I could feel my heart shatter as the man in front of me started to walk out the front door.

I knew he would be fine, but something inside of me was screaming that this was going to be the last time I ever saw him.

I normally got stressed when they went on missions. I wasn’t dumb; I knew they were dangerous, but I could usually push those feelings aside and get lost in my work until they came back.

There was no pushing aside this feeling. It started in my stomach and continued up until all I could feel was it pressing down on me and my heart.

I rushed after Bai Long Qiang, only to find myself clamping a hand over my mouth to muffle the scream inside of me. When he turned around to look at me, all I could see was the creature from my nightmares with the razor-sharp teeth.

I struggled to catch my breath, my hand still over my lips. I didn’t know if I was going to scream in fear or puke all over my front lawn, but neither reaction would be considered acceptable.

Ready to get on my knees and beg him to stay if I thought it would work, I forced my body to straighten up. I knew he was going to go, no matter what I said. I wouldn’t beg him to stay.

"Don’t look at me like that," he said softly, coming back up the walkway and stopping right in front of me.

I shook my head, refusing to open my mouth in case I threw up all over him. I was having an anxiety attack, one of the worst ones I ever had... and yet, I wouldn’t tell him that.

Reaching out, Bai Long Qiang gently grabbed my right wrist and pulled it toward him. I gasped for air as the hand that was previously clamped over my mouth was removed and now covering his heart.

"This only beats for you," he said gently, laying a soft kiss on my forehead. I had a feeling of safety rush over me as soon as his lips touched my skin. I might be confused over my feelings for Cheng Bo Jing and some of the others on his team, but I had never once been confused over my feelings for him.

He was my other half, and no matter what happened, that would never change.

"I know it only beats for me," I grumbled, opening my eyes that I hadn’t realized I had shut. "My worry is when it stops beating."